
LA BONTE’S TOP 100 ENGLISH CONVERSATION PATTERNS
6
TAG QUESTIONS
TAG QUESTIONS are used a lot in conversation, so you need to be able to use them. This is used when you anticipate a
certain YES or NO answer. Note the answers. The tag question is always the opposite. If the sentence is positive, the tag
question is negative, and vice versa.
She went, didn't she? Yes, she did. = Yes, she went.
+ - No, she didn't. = No, she didn't go.
She didn't go
, did she? No, she didn't. = No, she didn't go.
- + Yes, she did. = Yes, he went.
QUESTION TAG QUESTION ANSWER
ADJECTIVE
(present) Are you tired? You're tired, aren't you? Yes, I am.
Isn't she tired? She isn't tired, is she? No, she isn't.
(past) Was he angry? He was angry, wasn't he? Yes, he was.
Weren't you happy? You weren't happy, were you? No, I wasn't.
(future) Will they be nervous? They'll be nervous, won't they? Yes, they will.
Won't she be mad? She won't be mad, will she? No, she won't.
VERB
(present) Do you eat? You eat, don't you? Yes, I do.
Doesn't he play? He doesn't play, does he? No, he doesn't.
(past) Did they come? They came, didn't they? Yes, they did.
Didn't she call? She didn't call, did she? No, she didn't.
(future) Will she dance? She'll dance, won't she? Yes, she will.
Won't he send it? He won't send it, will he? No, he won't
EXCEPTIONS
CAN Can she use it? She can use it, can't she? Yes, she can.
Can't they sing? They can't sing, can they? No, they can't.
COULD Could he leave? He could leave, couldn't he? Yes, he could.
Couldn't she cook? She couldn't cook, could she? No, she couldn't.
WOULD Would you go? You would go, wouldn't you? Yes, I would.
Wouldn't she come back? She wouldn't come back, would she? No, she wouldn't.
SHOULD Should they bring it? They should bring it, shouldn't they? Yes, they should.
Shouldn't you work now? You shouldn't work now, should you? No, I shouldn't.
HAVE* Have you seen it? You've seen it, haven't you? Yes, I have.
Hasn't she left? She hasn't left, has she? No, she hasn't.
HAVE BEEN Have you been tired? You've been tired, haven't you? Yes, I have been.
Hasn't he been waiting? He hasn't been waiting, has he? No, he hasn't been.
HAD BEEN Had she been fixing it? She had been fixing it, hadn't she? Yes, she had been.
Hadn't she been sick? She hadn’t been sick, had she? No, she hadn't been.
HAVE GOT Has she got money? She's got money, hasn't she? Yes, she has.
Haven't you got to go? You haven't got to go, have you? No, I haven't.
*With I HAVE n, use DO or DON'T in the question:"You have money, don't you?"
RIGHT...........Instead of the tag question, you will sometimes hear RIGHT. You will not hear RIGHT used a lot when
the negative sentence is used at the beginning of a tag question.
He went, right? They left earlier, right?
Instead of YES or NO, RIGHT or THAT'S RIGHT are used in the answer.
They like it, right? Right, they like it.
That's right.